Chapter 3The Art of Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt

The Nile begins in well-watered regions near the equator and flows northward across the Sahara Desert before it empties into the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

"Egypt is the gift of the Nile."Hecataeus, quoted by Herodotus

Isis and Osiris

Isis and Osiris. 1291-1279 BCE (New Kingdom.) Temple of Seti I. Abydos

OsirisGod of the underworld whose annual death and resurrection personified the self-renewing vitality and fertility of nature.

Whether I live or die I am Osiris, I enter in and reappear through you,

I decay in you, I grow in you, I fall down in you, I fall upon my side.

The gods are living in me for I live and grow in the corn that sustains the Honoured Ones.

I cover the earth, whether I live or die I am Barley.

I am not destroyed. I have entered the Order,

I rely upon the Order, I become Master of the Order,

I emerge in the Order, I make my form distinct,

I am the Lord of the Chennet (Granary of Memphis?) I have entered into the Order, I have reached its limits. . . .

'Coffin Texts,' 330,

Last judgment of Hu-Nefer, from his tomb at Thebes, Egypt, Dynasty XIX,ca. 1290–1280 BCE. Painted papyrus scroll, approx. 1’ 6” high. British Museum, London.

Papyrus: A paperlike material made by binding together two layers of strips of pith (a spongelike substance in the center of stems and branches) from the papyrus plant.

Book of the Dead. Chapter One

...O you who are the openers of ways and the cleavers of roads for effective souls in the house of Osiris.

Open then the ways, cleave then the roads for my soul with you,so that he may go in in fury, and emerge in peace from the house of Osiris,without being blocked, without being turned back…

I have proceeded here, and no fault has been found with me:the scales are free of its moment.

Horus and Hathor

Isis Nursing HorusPtolemaic Period (ca. 300–30 B.C.)Faience; h. 6.7 in.

Metropolitan, NY

Horus Stele 30th Dynasty

British Mus., London

Hawk-headed Horus. From Treasury of King Tut

Hathor nursing the infant Horus.

Hathor

The goddess of the sky, of women, and of fertility and love. Her principal animal form was a cow, and she was strongly associated with motherhood.

In Upper Egypt she was worshiped with Horus,

Goddess Suckling King WenisFrom the pyramid temple of Wenis at Saqqara. 2356-2323 BCE. Limestone. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Early Dynastic Period (Bronze Age)

30th-26th c. BCE

Palette of King Narmer (back)From Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic, ca. 3000–2920 BCE. Slate, approx. 2’ 1” high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Palette of King Narmer (front)from Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic, ca. 3000–2920 BCE. Slate, approx. 2’ 1” high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Palette of King Narmer (front)Detail

Palette of King Narmer (front)Detail

Mastaba tombs. Section (left), plan (center), and restored view (right).

False door (or Ka door) of Shery from his Saqqara Mastaba. Fourth dynasty

Ka: An individual’s vital force, the total of the hereditary qualities received from one’s ancestors. the ka was sustained through food and drink. though it was the kau of the food that was consumed, not the physical aspect. Mastaba: A tomb with a

rectangular base, sloping sides, and a flat roof.

IMHOTEP, Stepped Pyramid and mortuary precinct of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt, Dynasty III, ca. 2630–2611 BCE.

Mortuary precinct of DjoserRestored plan (top) and view (bottom).Saqqara, Egypt, Dynasty III, ca. 2630–2611 BCE. Imhotep

Columnar entrance corridor to the mortuary precinct of Djoser

Saqqara, Egypt, Dynasty III, ca. 2630–2611 BCE.

Facade of the North Palace of the mortuary precinct of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt, Dynasty III, ca. 2630–2611 BCE.

Egyptian column types.

26th – 22nd c. BCE ( Bronze Age)

The Old KingdomDyn. IV-VIII

Great Pyramids, Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV. From left: Pyramids of Menkaure, ca. 2490–2472 BCE; Khafre, ca. 2520–2494 BCE; and Khufu, ca. 2551–2528 BCE.

Pyramid of Khufu:

Length of one side - 775 feet.

Area - 13 acres

height - 450’ (originally 480’)

2.3 million blocks of stone, each 2.5 tons

Model of the pyramid complex, Gizeh, Egypt. Harvard University Semitic Museum. 1. Pyramid of Menkaure, 2. Pyramid of Khafre, 3. Mortuary temple of Khafre, 4. Causeway, 5. Great Sphinx 6. Valley temple of Khafre, 7. Pyramid of Khufu, 8. Pyramids of the royal family and mastabas of nobles.

The four sides of each of the pyramids is oriented to the cardinal points of the compass. the funerary temples are facing east - enhance connection to Re, the sun god.

Great Pyramids, General view from NW: Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure

Pyramid of Khafre,(with white limestone cap.)

Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV ca. 2520–2494 BCE

Section of the Pyramid of Khufu,ca. 2551–2528 BCE

Length of one side -775 feet.

Area - 13 acres

height - 450’

2.3 million blocks of stone, each 2.5 tons

Great Pyramids, Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV. From left: Pyramids of Menkaure, ca. 2490–2472 BCE; Khafre, ca. 2520–2494 BCE; and Khufu, ca. 2551–2528 BCE.

Pyramid of Khufu:

Length of one side - 775 feet.

Area - 13 acres

height - 450’ (originally 480’)

2.3 million blocks of stone, each 2.5 tons

Comparison: ZigguratUr, Iraq, ca. 2100 BCE

Mud bricks. 50’ high

Great Sphinx, Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV, ca. 2520–2494 BCE. Sandstone, approx. 65’ high, 240’ long.

Drawing of the Sphinx by Frederick Lewis Norden, 1737 (Napoleon arrived in 1798)

Detail. Great Sphinx, Gizeh, ca. 2520–2494 BCE.

Detail. Great Sphinx, Gizeh, ca. 2520–2494 BCE.

Uraeus: The protective goddess Wedget in the form of a cobra, whose image was affixed to the royal headgear.

Nemes-headdress

A royal head covering, made of stiff cloth pleated or banded with different colors. The nemes has side parts that rest on the shoulders, and is drawn together in the back to form a pigtail or queue.

Comparison: Cobra maskfrom Sri Lanka. 19th c.

Khafre, Builder of 2nd pyramid, from Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV, ca. 2520–2494 BCE. Diorite, approx. 5’ 6” high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Ka-Statue, or Tomb Statue

The ka, or life force, of an individual was believed to inhabit statues of stone or wood placed in a chapel or a serdab and, through them, to partake of sustenance in the form of food offerings. The statues also provided a “spare body” in the event that the mummy was damaged.

Khafre, from Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV, ca. 2520–2494 BCE. Diorite, approx. 5’ 6” high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Khafre, from Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV, ca. 2520–2494 BCE. Diorite, approx. 5’ 6” high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

The lotus - Upper Egypt The papyrus – Lower Egypt

Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty (?)from Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV, ca. 2490–2472

BCE. Graywacke, approx. 4’ 6 1/2” high. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The Egyptian Canon (system of proportions)

Rahotep and NefertFrom the tomb chapel of Rahotep at Meidum. 4th dynasty. Egypt. Plastered and painted limestone.Height 122 cm

Seated scribe (Kay?), from his mastaba at Saqqara, Egypt, Dynasty V, ca. 2450–2350 BCE. Painted limestone, approx. 1’ 9” high. Louvre, Paris.

Khafre, Builder of 2nd pyramid, from Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV, ca. 2520–2494 BCE. Diorite, approx. 5’ 6” high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Seated Scribe (Kay?), from his mastaba at Saqqara

Ka-Aper, from his mastaba at Saqqara, Egypt, Dynasty V, ca. 2450–2350 BCE. Wood, with inlayed eyes of rock crystal. Approx. 3’ 7” high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Ti watching a hippopotamus hunt, relief in the mastaba of Ti, Saqqara, Egypt, Dynasty V, ca. 2450–2350 BCE. Painted limestone, hunting scene approx. 4’ high.

The Middle KingdomDyn. XI-XIV

21st – 17th c. BCE(Bronze Age)

Fragmentary head of Sensuret III, Dyn. XII

ca. 1860 BCE. Red Quartzite 6.5” high. Metropolitan Mus. NY

Head of Senusret III.

Nelson-Atkins museum, New York

Comparison: Khafre. Detailca. 2520–2494 BCE. Diorite, approx. 5’ 6” high.

Rock-cut tombs. Beni Hasan, Egypt, ca. 1950-1900 BCE

Interior hall of the rock-cut tomb of AmenemhetBeni Hasan, Egypt, Dynasty XII, ca. 1950–1900 BCE.

The New KingdomDyn. XVII-XX

16th-11th c. BCE(Bronze Age)

Hatshepsut with offering jarsca. 1473–1458 BCE.Red granite, approx. 8’ 6” high.

Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut (with the mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II at left), Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, Dynasty XVIII, ca. 1473–1458 BCE.

Hathor Suckling Hatshepsut. Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Temple of Hathor. Deir el-Bahri. Egypt. 1490-1468 BCE

Senmut with Princess Nefrua,(block statue) ca. 1470–1460 BCE. Granite, approx. 3’ 1/2” high.

ca. 237–47 BCE.

Hypostyle Hall: A hall with a roof supported by columns.

Peristyle Courtyard: Courtyard surrounded by columns.

Temple of Horus, Edfu, Egypt, ca. 237–47 BCE.

Pylon: Monumental gateway to an Egyptian temple, consisting of a pair of tower structures with slanting walls flanking the entrance portal.

Model of Hypostyle Hall. Temple of Amen-Ra. Karnak. c. 1290-1224. Metropolitan Museum of Art. NY

clerestory

Hypostyle hall, temple of Amen-Re, Karnak, Egypt, Dynasty XIX,

ca. 1290–1224 BCE.

Hypostyle hall, temple of Amen-Re(closed & open papyrus capitals and clerestory window.)

Hypostyle Hall. Temple of Amun-Mut-Khonsu, Luxor. Begun c. 1390 B.C.E. Height of columns 30’

Entrance Pylon & Obelisk of Ramses II.Luxor. c. 1290 BCE-1224 BCELimestone

Obelisk:

A four-sided tapering pillar of stone with a triangular top. Obelisks were based on the shape of the benben, the sacred stone of the sun god in the city of Heliopolis

Akhenaton and the Amarna Period14th c. BCE

Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV), from the temple of Aton, Karnak, ca. 1353–1335 BCE. Sandstone, approx. 13’ high.

Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Comparison: Menkaure and his Queenca. 2490–2472 BCE. (Old Kingdom)

Graywacke, approx. 4’ 6 1/2” high.

Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV) , from

the temple of Aton, Karnak, ca. 1353–1335

BCE. Sandstone, approx. 13’ high.

AtenThe disk of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology, and originally an aspect of Ra.

Amen-RaKing of the gods.During the New

Kingdom he became a solar god and universal

creator.

Akhenaton directed his reforms against the

cult of Amen.

When Akhenaten changed the religion to the worship of one god, Aten, he also changed the location of the empire’s capital from Thebes to Amarna.

Akhenaton, Nefertiti and Two Daughters

Offering Flowers to the Sun Disk Aten. Painted

limestone. H. 53 cm. Egyptian Museum. Cairo

Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters, from Tell el-Amarna, ca. 1353–1335 BCE. Limestone, approx. 12 1/4” high. Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin.

THUTMOSE, Nefertiti, ca. 1353–1335 BCE. Painted limestone, approx. 1’ 8” high. Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin.

Tiye, ca. 1353–1335 BCE. Wood, with gold, silver, alabaster, and lapis lazuli, approx. 3 3/4” high. Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin.

Death mask of Tutankhamen,from the innermost coffin in his tomb at Thebes, Egypt, ca. 1323 BCE.

24 pounds of solid gold, inlaid lapis lazuli, carnelian, quartz, turquoise, obsidian, and colored glass.

His original name, Tutankhaten, means "Living Image of Aten", while Tutankhamun means "Living Image of Amun".

The vulture's head symbolizes sovereignty over Upper Egypt.The cobra symbolizes sovereignty over Lower Egypt.

Three teams of forensic artists and scientists—from France, the United States and Egypt—each built a model of the boy pharaoh's face based on some 1,700 high-resolution photos from CT scans of his mummy to reveal what he looked like the day he died

Innermost coffin of Tutankhamen, from his tomb at Thebes, Egypt, Dynasty XVIII, ca. 1323 BCE. 296 pounds of solid gold with inlay of enamel and semiprecious stones. Approx. 6’ 1” long. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Painted chest, from the Tomb of Tutankhamen, Thebes, Egypt, ca. 1333–1323 BCE. Wood, approx. 1’ 8” long. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Painted chest, from the Tomb of TutankhamenDetail of left end with king in the guise of two sphinxes

Musicians and dancers, detail of a fresco from the tomb of Nebamun, Thebes, Egypt, Dynasty XVIII, ca. 1400–1350 BCE. Fragment approx. 1’ x 2’ 3”.

British Museum, London.

Fowling scene, from the tomb of Nebamun, Thebes, Egypt, Dynasty XVIII, ca. 1400–1350 BCE. Fresco on dry plaster, approx. 2’ 8” high.

Garden with Fishpond. Fresco from Thebes. Egypt.18th Dynasty. (New Kingdom.) British Museum, London

Discussion Question 7:Compare the way the Egyptians depicted animals with the way animals were depicted by the artists of ancient Mesopotamia and those of Paleolithic Europe. Which artists seem to portray them most naturally? What do they represent? What is the relationship between humans and animals? What part does abstract pattern play in each? What role does conceptual approaches to art play in each? (hint: think about the composite view). Which figures do you like best? Why?

Fowling scene, from the tomb of Nebamun, 1400–1350 BCE

Assyrian: Ashurbanipal hunting

lions. ca. 645–640 BCE Detail.

Paleolithic: Hall of the Bulls, Lascaux, Dordogne, France, ca. 15,000–13,000 BCE.

Ramses II, Abu Simbel.1290–1224 BCE.

Ramesses II (also known as Ramesses the Great) reigned for 67 years. During his long reign, eight women held the title Great Royal Wife (often simultaneously).He had around 110 children .

Under him Egypt acquired unprecedented splendor. Ramses left monuments throughout Egypt.

Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt, Dynasty XIX, ca. 1290–1224 BCE. View of rock-cut façade fr SE (moved to higher ground in 1960s)

Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt, Dynasty XIX, ca. 1290–1224 BCE. Sandstone, colossi approx. 65’ high.

Comparison: Khafre, from Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV, ca. 2520–2494 BCE.

Diorite, approx. 5’ 6” high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt, Dynasty XIX, ca. 1290–1224 BCE. Sandstone, colossi approx. 65’ high.

Interior of the temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel (now relocated), Egypt, Dynasty XIX, ca. 1290–1224 BCE. Sandstone, pillar statues approx. 32’ high.

Interior of the temple of Ramses II with colossal Osiris statues